Case description
The SAPO accuses Member of Parliament Liudmyla Marchenko and her assistant Anastasiia Kolesnik of influence peddling.
According to the prosecution, Marchenko and Kolesnik offered, in exchange for a bribe, to have two male volunteers of conscription age entered into the “Shliakh” information system to enable them to travel abroad.
The investigation identified two episodes of unlawful conduct by Marchenko and her assistant. In the first episode, the MP allegedly received USD 6,000 for facilitating unimpeded border crossing; in the second, USD 5,300 for including an individual in the Shliakh system.
In exchange for the bribes, Marchenko allegedly promised to influence the decision of officials at the Kyiv Regional Military Administration. In the summer of 2022, acting as the founder of the “Ukrainian-Turkish Charity Fund”, she informed a deputy head of the Kyiv RMA of the supposed need for volunteer drivers of this fund to cross the border to deliver humanitarian aid to Ukraine.
Marchenko instructed her assistant to communicate directly with the men, promising to use her influence over Kyiv RMA officials to obtain the necessary travel authorizations in exchange for bribes. Kolesnik was to receive the bribes personally and transfer the funds to the MP.
In March 2023, a man approached Anastasiia Kolesnik seeking assistance in leaving Ukraine. She informed him that the issue could be resolved by entering his details into the Shliakh system and ensuring his unimpeded border crossing — allegedly through her ability to secure the approval of the RMA head. For this, she demanded a monetary reward.
Kolesnik subsequently received the man’s documents and, on June 1, 2023, obtained the first installment of the agreed bribe — USD 2,500, which she then passed to Marchenko.
On July 5, 2023, after the man obtained the necessary authorization to leave Ukraine, Kolesnik delivered the second installment of USD 2,800, again transferring the funds to the MP at her residence.
Law enforcement officers recorded on video the moment when the assistant handed USD 2,800 to Marchenko, who, upon learning of an unexpected visit from NABU detectives, attempted to throw the money over the fence of her estate. As a result, the men obtained the desired travel permits.
One of the men involved later testified that he had met with Anastasiia Kolesnik and paid the bribe in two parts of USD 3,000 each.
The actions of Liudmyla Marchenko and Anastasiia Kolesnik are classified under Article 369-2(2) of the Criminal Code of Ukraine. Kolesnik is charged as an accomplice.
